updated 06:14 am EST, Fri November 29, 2013

Sony to combine PS4 with handheld PS Vita for UK holiday sales

Sony has launched the PlayStation 4 game console in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil, just two weeks after it arrived in the United States. Despite only just launching, Sony hopes to attract more customers in the United Kingdom over the holiday shopping period, by offering a bundle combining the PlayStation 4 with a PlayStation Vita.

The bundle takes advantage of the "Remote Play" function of the PlayStation 4, which allows gamers to play on the larger console using the PS Vita in another room, all over a local Wi-Fi connection. A company spokesperson confirmed rumors of the bundle to The Next Web, advising that it could be out in the next few weeks. "Some (retailers) may start offering it tonight and others will roll it out later depending on stock," said the spokesperson of the bundle, which will sell for under £500 ($816).

The expansion of the PlayStation 4 to regions other than the US has been slightly marred by minor issues. The company is turning off some social features for a short time to ensure the PlayStation Network's stability, and one game has already been banned from Twitch, after the console's game video sharing capability was abused.

In contrast to the Xbox One, Sony's launch of the PlayStation 4 is not a global one, instead opting to open the console to individual regions. In the US, the console achieved more than 1 million sales within the first 24 hours of availability, with sales in Asia expected to start in December. Sales in Japan, Sony's home country, will not commence until February 22nd.